I feel MUCH better now 🙂
Yesterday I got together with Chris and Laura from Insert Witty Title Here, Newbuis from the Newbuis Papers, R A Bear from Sipsey Street and a couple of their friends for a visit to the NRA Museum, lunch and shoot at the NRA range.
Folks, if you haven’t been to the NRA Museum, it is DEFINITELY worth the trip, an education into what our history with firearms is, and for Chris, it was kid in a candy store time 🙂
Lunch was hilarious, stories abounding, and people just enjoying themselves and as usual, the conversations ranged far and wide, from cooking to movies, to life, to cars, and oh yeah, guns!!!
We headed back over to the range, had about a 1/2 hour wait (better than the 2 hour wait in the morning), but finally got a couple of lanes and started ‘therapy’.
Chris brought a .44 Bulldog, Laura brought her new Rock Island Match 1911 and the Bersa in .380, and Suds had an HK 45 USP (that is one HEAVY pistol).
I screwed up, as I figured since Laura had a .45 she’d be ‘comfortable’ shooting mine, but when I put her on my C&S .45 with 230gr Gold Dots up the pipe, she shot the first round and looked around at me with a really strange expression. She finished off the mag, and we stepped behind the line, and she told me that was the FIRST time she’d ever shot a .45 with full power loads!!!
Note to self- CHECK with folks about their experience…
Chris shot it with no problems (hell, ANYBODY that shoots a Bulldog .44 can handle a .45)!
I ran the target out to 25 yards and brought out the Clark Heavy Slide and handed that one to Laura and she actually got all but 1 round on paper at 25 yards (she had never shot at that range either). She came up with the perfect definition of the stippling on the front strap, she said it looked and felt like a cheese grater after looking at her hand! 🙂
We kept cycling through the pistols, reloading mags and stepping back up and as usual, I did my token head shot miss and ran one round by the right ear… sigh… I CANNOT get through a round without doing that at least once!!!
We were running low on ammo and running out of time, so we decided to call it a day, but I’d call it a GOOD day!
Good food, good friends, good shooting… It doesn’t get any better than that!
And we stepped outside and it was 102 degrees at 6pm… Came home and cleaned guns (the pain after the pleasure)…
Guns have to be cleaned? 🙂
Sounds like a good time.
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http://americansagainstobama.freeforums.org/index.php
Glad to hear you let off some steam. I’ve never been to the museum, but badly want to go. I’m actually glad to hear the wait is that long. Sucks to have to wait, but that means there are a lot of people that are interested in shooting. Good for us! I made that same mistake once with not checking experience and I nearly turned off a new shooter. I’ve made a note to never do that again, as well.
Sounds like a good day! 😉
Andy- It was 🙂
45- Yep, there is almost always a wait at NRA any time of the year. That’s not all bad as you say 🙂
Lila- yep 🙂
Interesting comment on the Bulldog. I’ve never had anyone want to shoot more than the first five; if they finish those, out of mine.
Again, I’m so happy you were able to make it. Y’all helped make this year a good one, despite it being the big Three Oh for me.
Next time we’ll have to do the Air & Space museum with you as a tour guide. Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed, but I think it would be better with you talking about the planes. 🙂
WSF- If I was going to get something like that, it would be an Anaconda with with a 6 inch barrel at the minimum 🙂
Laura- Youngster :-p It was fun, and I’m sorry I threw you under the bus on the .45 🙁 That wasn’t nice of me. I would have MUCH preferred Air and Space rather than work, trust me!!!
Yeah yeah yeah…I sure don’t FEEL young. 😛
Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’d rather end up shooting holy-crap ammo in a controlled situation rather than one of those “hold mah beer” situations, you know? And yeah, SUCKY that you had to go back in to work. Maybe next time you’ll be able to join us. 🙂
You deserved a good time, after that trip from hell!
Recoil therapy is a wonderful thing. Glad to hear you got some time with great folks and shoot things!
Here’s hoping this is the start of a great week!
You did not mention shooting the H&K USP. The recoil reduction really does take down the recoil of the full power loads. I only notice the difference when the loads get above 500 foot/pounds. Sounded like a fine day.
Oh yeah. “Recoil Therapy” is a TON of fun and MUCH less expensive!
;^)
BZ
Laura- I know, but I STILL feel bad about not asking you first…
JR- IT was!!! 🙂
Wing- It’s back to the oriface… sigh.
45- The HK is so damn heavy it’d take +P to even make you notice it 🙂
BZ- True dat!!! 🙂
Laura, let me just say that having NFO as your tour guide at Udvar-Hazy is worth every second.
“That plane’s a POS”.
“Flew one of those”.
“Crashed one of those”.
😀
Thanks again NFO!
That was a GREAT weekend! Thanks to Old NFO for playing tour guide. The museum was great. Good to meet new people and see new/old friends. No one wanted to shoot my 44 though. 🙁
In my view one and all may read this.